Lil' America

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Lil' America
Opening dateApril 2023
Address1015 Southeast Stark Street
Portland, Oregon, United States
Lil' America is located in Portland, Oregon
Lil' America
Lil' America
Coordinates: 45°31′10″N 122°39′20″W / 45.5195°N 122.6555°W / 45.5195; -122.6555

Lil' America is a food pod (or group of food carts) in Portland, Oregon's Buckman neighborhood, in the United States.

Description and history

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The pod opened at Stark Street and 10th Avenue in southeast Portland's Buckman neighborhood in April 2023,[1][2] in the space previously occupied by MidCity SmashedBurger.[3] Businesses in the pod are LGBTQ- and/or BIPOC-owned.[4] The project is a collaboration between ChefStable and the restaurant group Win Win.[5][6] KOIN has described Win Win as an "organization that creates equitable and sustainable opportunities in the food industry for the queer and trans community".[7]

On August 29, 2025, owner ChefStable asked three vendors to leave by the end of October: Hawker Station, Makulít, and Speed-O Cappuccino. The decrease in the number of vendors is a result of the expansion of neighboring Dos Hermanos Bakery. Frybaby also announced plans to relocate by then.[8][9][10]

Tenants

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Entrance, 2025

Tenants, which pay a monthly flat fee to operate in the pod,[11] have included:

Frybaby was named Food Cart of the Year by The Oregonian in 2023.[23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Wong, Janey (2022-10-31). "Meet the Five Food Carts Coming to Southeast Portland's Lil' America Pod". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2024-03-18. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  2. ^ "Grand opening for Lil' America food cart pod draws foodies to SE Portland". kgw.com. 2023-04-01. Archived from the original on 2024-03-27. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  3. ^ "New, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+-Focused Food Cart Pod to Open in Southeast Portland". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  4. ^ "Meet the Food Carts at Lil' America, Portland's Most Exciting New Pod". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2024-03-27. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  5. ^ Russell, Michael (2023-04-01). "Meet Lil' America, Portland's new BIPOC/LGBTQ-focused food cart pod". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2023-09-08. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  6. ^ Sorenson, Saundra (May 25, 2023). "Two Months In, Lil' America Providing 'Safe Space' for BIPOC- and LGBTQ+-Owned Food Trucks to Thrive". The Skanner. Archived from the original on October 3, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  7. ^ "Kohr Explores: Portland food cart pod features BIPOC, LGBTQ+ chefs". KOIN.com. 2023-04-19. Archived from the original on 2023-06-03. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  8. ^ Hamilton, Katherine Chew (2025-09-15). "Portland's Entirely BIPOC- and LGBTQ-Owned Food Cart Pod Is Undergoing a Huge Shakeup". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
  9. ^ "Lil' America food cart owners say they were told to leave by management within 60 days". kgw.com. 2025-09-19. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
  10. ^ "SE food carts forced to exit as Dos Hermanos expands bakery". Portland Business Journal.
  11. ^ "A new Portland food cart pod is uplifting BIPOC and LGBTQI+ chefs". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on 2023-05-20. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  12. ^ a b c d e Russell, Michael (2023-04-01). "Here are Lil' America's 7 BIPOC/LGBTQ-owned food carts". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2023-09-08. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  13. ^ a b c "9 Hellos and 6 Goodbyes: Portland's Biggest Restaurant Moves of 2023". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2024-01-20. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  14. ^ "Câche Câche, the New Semi-Secret Seafood Spot, Is Swimming in Flavor". Willamette Week. 2023-07-12. Archived from the original on 2024-01-03. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  15. ^ Russell, Michael (2023-04-05). "Cache Cache is an upcoming raw seafood bar that will vanish each night". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2024-03-19. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  16. ^ Nakamura, Beth. "Flame Pizza food cart in Southeast Portland". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2023-10-15. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  17. ^ Meagher, Sean. "Frybaby food cart - oregonlive.com". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2024-03-19. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  18. ^ Wong, Janey (2023-02-28). "Frybaby's Sunny Hatch Is Reconnecting With His Heritage Through Korean Fried Chicken". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2023-09-30. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  19. ^ "Makulít's Filipino American Fast Food Mashups Are an Early Standout at the New Lil' America Cart Pod". Willamette Week. 2023-05-10. Archived from the original on 2023-06-03. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  20. ^ Wong, Janey (2023-03-10). "Filipino American Fast Food Cart Makulít Is Slinging Longganisa-Beef Burgers in Southeast". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2023-09-21. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  21. ^ Wong, Janey (2022-08-02). "This New Food Cart Pod Will Exclusively Feature BIPOC and LGBTQ-Owned Carts". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2023-10-04. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  22. ^ Hamilton, Katherine Chew (2025-09-15). "Portland's Entirely BIPOC- and LGBTQ-Owned Food Cart Pod Is Undergoing a Huge Shakeup". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  23. ^ Russell, Michael (2023-09-25). "With Korean fried chicken and snow cheese, Frybaby is Portland's 2023 Food Cart of the Year". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
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